I took over 2 months before I finally installed my gills (back in January) as I wanted to figure out an easier method to install them. Here's how I installed mine. Hopefully it'll help you guys. Once you get the hang of doing one side your see it'll take you less than a minute to pop them out. Hopefully this will help you guys.

Before you begin:
If you are afraid of scratching your car, tape the painted surface around the gills with painters tape

Installation

Step 1. Remove OEM chrome side gill

Apply packing tape to the end closest to the door (ie. the part pointing toward the rear of the car). To apply the tape, pull a long strip of tape and tape the ends to the top and bottom of the gill then press the tape together.

Assuming you are working on the driver's side (left) gill (you will do the opposite for the other side):

Use your right hand and grasp the long piece of the tape with your right palm and your last three fingers (your middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger).

Now using your right thumb and pointer finger, grab the top and bottom of the gill pressing down on the tape.

So that your left hand don't feel lonely, grab the middle of the gill with the fingers from your left hand.

Wiggle up and down while you pull on the tape.

The gill should pop right out easily.

Step 2. Do not drop the wire behind the fender

Tilt the gill out of the fender to expose and pull it out.

Before you disconnect the wiring, use some painters tape to tape down the wiring so that it doesn't fall behind the fender. If it fall behind the fender you will extend your install time MUCH MUCH longer trying to fish it out.

Once the wire is secure and you know it won't fall behind the fender, unlatch the wiring harness plug from the gill.

Step 3. Install new gill

Finally, the easy part!

Plug the wiring harness into the new side gill then insert the larger end of the gill into the fender and line up the mounting points.

Simply press the gill into the mounting points till it's flush. You are done!

Below is a comparison of the OEM chrome gill vs the new OEM M3 Edition black chrome gill

Disclaimer: Use this DIY at your own risk, I'm not responsible for any damage to your car.

Nice man and thanks for the DIY! Im assuming it'll be the same for the e90 though? Heard alot about it being harder on the e90 for some reason...any more pics of the black chrome installed? BTW where did you get them from? Thanks!

Nice man and thanks for the DIY! Im assuming it'll be the same for the e90 though? Heard alot about it being harder on the e90 for some reason...any more pics of the black chrome installed? BTW where did you get them from? Thanks!

I'm not too certain on the E90 as I have not done it on the E90. However, I would assume it would come out similiar.

I bought my M3 "Edition" gills from getBMWParts.com.

Unfortunately I haven't really taken too many closeup shots of them installed. If you search on the forum there's many that have posted pics of them installed.

OMG! You are a genius man! Simply wrap the tape around it, hold the gill with a micro fiber towel, wriggle the gill in the towel and pull hard on the tape. I changed both sides in 10 minutes! Holy crap, to think of people ripping out their fender liners and prying these things off with a screwdriver... This method there was no way you damage anything. They pop out, but not violently, very easy to control and no chance of damaging the paint or the gill.

This board should have reputation points like 6 speed. You certainly earn some with this.

OMG! You are a genius man! Simply wrap the tape around it, hold the gill with a micro fiber towel, wriggle the gill in the towel and pull hard on the tape. I changed both sides in 10 minutes! Holy crap, to think of people ripping out their fender liners and prying these things off with a screwdriver... This method there was no way you damage anything. They pop out, but not violently, very easy to control and no chance of damaging the paint or the gill.

This board should have reputation points like 6 speed. You certainly earn some with this.

I am shaking my head, seeing how obvious this approach is, because the hardest thing about swapping gills was getting a firm grip on it to get it out. It takes gorilla grip to do it! But the tape technique could really help.

Now did I read you right: OEM black chrome gills? I got black chrome, but they were not OEM afaik.

Edit: Moderators, please sticky this thread. This is very useful!

Last edited by llis; 10-08-2011 at 07:25 PM.
Reason: recommend for sticky

I am shaking my head, seeing how obvious this approach is, because the hardest thing about swapping gills was getting a firm grip on it to get it out. It takes gorilla grip to do it! But the tape technique could really help.

Now did I read you right: OEM black chrome gills? I got black chrome, but they were not OEM afaik.

To the OP - I love you! LOL This worked like a charm. It was much better than the screw driver trick. The only thing i added was 2 more strips of packing tape from the little end towards the middle for more leverage...you rock!

I followed this advice, and it worked extremely well. The packing tape is the key method for getting the gill off with no fuss, all other methods risk scratching the paint or using too much force, in my opinion.

I did the first gill replacement, and then took videos of the second.

Before you start, it's worth watching all 4 videos (sorry, I don't have time to splice them together) so you know all the steps.

Overall, this is a very simple procedure that even non-mechanically inclined people can do.

Now that I've done one set, I could do 1 gill replace and removal in probably 7-8 minutes, so 15 minutes for both sides.

Can this method also be used to replace gills on a 2011 e90? I ask bc of the "grille" on the gills unlike the vert or coupe.

thanks

Even my dealer managed to break the plastic vents when they changed the side grilles for me on my old car - for the E90 the safest way is to remove the wheels and go in from the wheel well - it can be done without doing this but youre taking a risk of something breaking.